Killik Handcrafted Rum — Restaurant in Melbourne

The Tale of 3 Prawns: A Quest for Gumbo in the Age of Delayed Information - Part One:

The Prelude: We have been to Killik multiple times before - Food is good on most occasions. Staff in the past have been friendly. The location is delightful and is a true gem amongst the hills.

HOWEVER.

Chapter 1 through to 10:

22/05/22:

So far we have waited 1 hour and 30 minutes when we are served the first 3 out of six meals. Still waiting for Gumbo - rice, prawns and chorizo.

There was almost a sense of irony waiting this long for food we ordered when we were sat near the entry to the kitchen and bore witness to multiple meals being sent out.

Staff have been okay although minimal contact to offer more drinks whilst we wait 1 hour 30 minutes for my rice, prawns and chorizo.

Whilst waiting a couple that sat down 30 minutes into our waiting were served their food prior to us.

There is a 'bottomless brunch' on at the same that is clearly the focus of the day and not other customers.

At 1 hour and 35 minutes we are asked if everything is okay and explain that we are still waiting on three out of the six meals we ordered (still no Gumbo) and are now told that there is only one chef on and the other did not turn up for work.

It's great to be kept informed.

Staff apologise for the delay.

1 hour and 40 minutes the rice, 3 prawns and chorizo arrive. The meal feels rushed and hastily put together.

Whilst paying for the meals and drinks one of the staff mentioned to another staff there's a bowl of fries for our table.

We never ordered fries so not sure if they were meant to be complimentary for waiting 1 hour and 40 minutes or if this was a mix up.

We did not stay for the bowl of fries. We are not offered any discount or apology for the wait whilst paying.

Ultimately if you are willing to wait 1 hour and 40 minutes for 3 prawn, a few slices of chorizo and some rice then Killik during their 'Bottomless Brunch' days will fill your heart with glee.

If you are wanting something more substantial you may want to...

We had a family dinner organised yesterday at Killik. With the outdoor lights and the large open dining areas the place had great ambiance. We were looking forward to a nice evening.

We selected the feed me menu. The food portions were good. Taste-wise although nothing was extraordinarily tasty, everything was certainly nice. The rum cocktails were very nice.

Service-wise, the first waitress who served us was friendly, informative and attentive. Things started to go downhill at the end when it was time for dessert. She came and asked us whether we were ready for dessert and we requested she give us 10 minutes and then she never came back.

Next thing we knew, the place started packing up and one person in our group saw that the waitress who was serving us has changed and was enjoying a drink herself.

We spoke to another waitress who was folding napkins at the next table and informed her that we were waiting for dessert and she blankly said “ the kitchen is closed”.

At this point we were a bit taken aback.

We explained to her that we were on the feed me menu and that as part of the menu we should be getting dessert, and politely requested that she check with the kitchen.

She went back into the restaurant and came back with some dessert mumbling an apology that seemed tokenistic and really didn’t come out very strong.

We requested for some plates so that we can share the dessert (it was meant to be shared) She brought us plates and spoons that had water on them ( which were not wiped properly ready for service) The lack of care was evident.

We were celebrating a number of special occasions yesterday and we carefully picked the location after physically checking the place out. Unfortunately the manner that the second waitress handled the situation didn’t leave a great impression with us.

We hope this will be taken on board as constructive feedback, as we would like to visit...

VERY disappointing bottomless brunch

Today we are celebrating my friend’s 40th birthday. A small but very special group of friends and family have gathered for this occasion.

According to the website, we were looking forward to some pretty tasty food and delicious drinks.

At the beginning of the meal the cheese plates came out fast, while the bread took a lot longer - and was barely toasted. And then all the drinks that came out were only sours - fine, they’re on the menu, but mix it up. We had to ask for what we were all looking forward to before they were even apparently considered.

When our Korean fried chicken/tofu arrived it looked and tasted very much like under-cooked toast with a tomato feta and balsamic topping.

The vegetarian chef’s choice was amazing. The other chef’s choice arrive cold and mediocre. When we asked for it to be redone, it had clearly been shoved back in the oven/microwave and then slapped back on the plate - without the plate even being wiped clean or the meal being nicely presented.

The apparently bottomless nature of this brunch is also quite the misnomer. We were expecting all of the drinks on the menu to come around at some point, but since they didn’t, we were compelled to ask specifically. This included repeatedly asking for water - something else we should definitely not have to ask for with a ‘bottomless’ meal.

Our petit fours turned out to be some sort of baby food with a squirt of whipped cream on top.

At the very least they need 2-3 more staff member on the floor carrying food and drinks and taking orders.

Sticking to the menu, or updating your website in a timely manner would also go a long way.

Hoping to have found a great new-to-us local spot, we are extremely disappointed, will not ever be back, and will be telling all our friend, including...